Many aestheticians coming from the day spa industry into the medical spa environment have to learn a whole new way of documentation as a client now transforms into a patient.
Aestheticians who are used to time and date stamping treatments with occasional side or progress notes, now are expected to chart everything they say and do during a patient's treatment. Along with charting comes treatment consent forms, HIPPA Forms, photography consent forms, payment agreement forms, anatomical charting forms, etc.
Medical Aestheticians who have any contact with a patient as any part of their treatment, should be charting everything from follow-up calls, to topical treatments used and the patient's response, to laser settings, test patch tests, follow up appointments, and the patient's tolerances to treatments.
As a new medical aesthetician, your day spa 'client' files have now been transformed into a legal medical records which could need to stand up in a court of law. Some new medical aestheticians I have spoken with have not yet learned to correctly chart and feel they should not be required to.
Why is it patient charting so important? Unfortunately, there have been more recent horror stories hitting the media than stories of healing and hope, especially when it comes to medical spa therapies that involve lasers and IPLs. These circumstances are a catalyst of change to medical laser laws across the U.S. Whether the MD is on site or off site, they (along with the medical esthetician) can be held responsible for any legal implications filed by a patient at the hands of a clinician, laser technician, or medical Esthetician.
While it may seem harsh, even the most skilled and brilliant esthetician should be terminated if they refuse to properly chart and document a patient's care. The rule of thumb is just this... if you didn't chart it, it didn't happen.
If you're a medical esthetician performing medical treatments it's up to you to know what your medical spas requirements are around patient charting and what potential problems exist if you fail to live up to these new requirements.
Medical Spa MD is a medical community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, and Aesthetic Physicians with more than 4,200 medical spa members. Medical Spa MD offers wholesale Botox online and offers information on nonsurgical cosmetic medical technologies and treatments.
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October 17 2009 | Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »
by Amy Nutt
It may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but in the world of modern medicine laser surgery is becoming a popular and powerful choice for dealing with a number of different medical conditions. Some of the most cutting edge uses of lasers and focused light are for the Laser Acne Treatment. Lasers can be used to burn off the outer layers of skin where acne is, or they can penetrate below the surface of the skin and deal with the underlying causes of acne.
The only real disadvantage to laser acne treatments is that they can be difficult to get and difficult to afford. They're often only used for people with severe acne problems -you'll have to ask a doctor or dermatologist if laser acne treatment would be a good option for you. Also, laser acne treatments are generally considered to be cosmetic procedures, so many insurance companies won't cover them. This can make it difficult for most people to afford having it done.
For those who do have access to laser acne treatments, there are a few different options to choose from. Some laser treatments target glands under the skin called the sebaceous glands. These glands are responsible for secreting the oil that can cause acne. The laser targets them and actually damages them, which makes them produce less oil.
Other types of laser treatments target the bacteria that cause acne inflammation, referred to in the medical community as Propionibacterium acens, or P. acnes. This type of laser treatment can also help to smooth out the skin's overall texture and repair acne scars. It is a powerful combined approach that can really change the way a person looks.
To get more specific, there are different types of lasers that are used in these different procedures. Each laser uses a different approach to do its job. The first type of laser is called the blue light laser. One of the advantages of this treatment is that it's painless, but it must be done over the course of multiple sessions. Unfortunately, acne tends to spread rapidly so these treatments must be undergone regularly to keep it at bay. There is a new version of blue light therapy on the horizon that combines blue and red lights, and it may be even more effective than blue light alone.
The second type of laser treatment works through pulsed green-yellow lights combined with heat energy. The combination of these two factors help shrink the sebaceous glands, thus making them produce less oil. This type of treatment can be used to treat moderate acne outbreaks, but more severe outbreaks may be out of its reach. The only known side effect of this treatment is that it causes the affected areas to be reddened for a brief time.
The last type of laser used in acne laser treatments is the diode laser. These lasers pierce the outer layer of skin and destroy sebaceous glands without damaging the outermost skin layers. This treatment, unlike the others, can be quite painful. However, doctors generally provide some sort of painkiller to dull the pain during treatment. Like the pulsed light treatment, the diode laser can cause redness and also swelling. However, it provides some of the best acne reduction after a couple of treatments.
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August 13 2009 | Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »